A Shift of Destiny
by Soliloquys
Summary: Perhaps someone could feel so strongly about a situation that a shift of fate occurs. In this case, Kagome finds InuYasha dead and herself in Hiten's mercy. No decided pairings yet.
1. Default Chapter

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny   
**Author:** Soliloquys   
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter 1: Eye for an eye; complete justice**

Clots of dust circled the pair like an uneasy audience, each warrior- wrenched to the bone in utter repulse of the other- glared at the other. One clad in complete armor, his very essence glowing an iridescent blue with a long spear-like weapon in his hands. The other dressed in a woven crimson fabric, holding an already cracked scabbard amongst ungroomed claws. Amber eyes flashed threateningly, as the hanyou held that feeble sheath before him as a last means of protection. "You'll regret the day you ever crossed me. I promise you that!" 

The superior-looking one spoke next, his voice growling with much more intensity and utter loathing... though he seeemed to be smirking amongst that mask of rage. "I think the blood's gone to your head ever since you lost your beloved woman." His facial expression creased even more into a biting-cold scowl. "When will you ever learn that no woman is worth risking a battle over! ... A brother's revenge on the other hand is _well_ worth fighting to the death for." 

The dust shifted, and the blue shaded character charged forward with that pike raised threateningly above his head, and he brought it down upon the blocking scabbard once more. Instantly, lightening flowed out... licking at its surroundings as the razor sharp end of that thunder pike entrenched itself within the wood of the mighty Tetsusaiga's sheath. The boy on the other end flinched to the force and the raising heat around him as the sheath cracked more and more. Finally it began to bend inward, and the bright blue of the bolts ascending from the pike danced about the arrogant face of Hiten. 'He's mine!' Though the rush of excitement did threaten to overcome him. 

Pulsating, the scabbard cried out for the abandoned sword amongst the cadaverous ruins of Hiten's brother. The sword itself shook from the ground, coming straight for its master's now outstretched arm. Turning away from his victory to see the sword coming back at InuYasha's beckon, all of that arrogance left his face colorless. The sword was returning to him?! His face creased into a grimace. 'No!' He thought as he recalled the flash of Manten's body lifeless on the charcoaled rocks, a death which would go unavenged unless he did something about it. He had to return the favor... threefold! 

Now his crimson slit eyes snapped back to InuYasha with his hand stretched out behind him just as the hilt slid into his fingers. His body shook, and as that one hand left to retrieve the lost weapon, Hiten found one opportunity to return to him the justice for killing his brother. Recoiling that long pole back to him, instead of using it as a shield from the rattery sword which was now transforming to an intimidating shimmer of a bleached fang. He took one more step infront of him and shifted all of his momentum into his arms... his hands tingling as he thrust that lightening tipped projectile. 

"Teeeetsusaii--" He was ready to bring that fang right down upon that bastard's body vertically to undo him, but he found that even with surprise... he still did not make it... and the sharp, tearing, and bleeding pain in his gut cut him off from yelling out his sword's name. His amber orbs shifted, and a confused, glossy look crossed them. He was... impaled?! "Ga-a-a-h" he shuddered as he felt warm blood trailing up his esophagus and over his tongue to taste his own bitter defeat. Mouth still open wide, he could not stop the trail of red seeping out through the corner of his mouth. 

The pain did not stop there... for soon heat in its extremity and ferocity licked at his raw inards; demonic lightening coarsed through his blood and burned it to ash. That half-transformed fang's hilt twirled from his grasp and he could hear the hollow echo of the blade hitting the ground as he too followed its descent. Falling onto his back, he felt the searing razor leave his gut, though tearing through skin as a nice detail before derooting itself from his intestines. Dust cluttered itself over him, and he suddenly felt paralized in a numbing pain. Everything was becoming distant and he felt aloft from the dirty earthen base he laid on. His undirected gaze upon Hiten's murderous face grew dimmer... the outlines of his smirking face blurring and becoming altogether darker. All grew quiet now, except the ringing of his head as it screamed its final words. _Death has finally come; he killed us both._

The experience for Hiten was much different in this moment, since he wasn't the one in the dieing shell. As soon as he watched the hanyou's knees buckle, he pulled that electrifying spear from his gut and half frowned and half smirked as he witnessed the death of the hanyou. His chest heaved, and now as blood oozed and the dust settled, the pike was thrown off to the side. Shoulders relaxed, and now that his revenge was quenched, the all but consuming sadness of Manten's demise hit him like a brick wall and he turned back to the plump pale body covered in the family attire in the distance. His feet drug his pitiful hide over to his brother's side, and he fell to his knees in the cold blood of his brother. 

Embracing the corpse and breaking out into sobs once more, sleep called to him, and it said to rest with his brother. In the background, thunder boomed as a crooning lullaby and he let the soft sheets of toil and remourse serve as a bed to repose in. His family was lost so many years ago, and now his brother. What in the hell would he do now?

(Chapter 2 coming soon. Hope you enjoyed. I'd like to hear your comments.)


	2. A Rude Awakening

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny   
**Author:** Soliloquys   
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. 

**Chapter 2: A rude awakening**

The soft warm fire that had protected her lifted itself off of her body and the unconscious kitsune to her right. Exhaling, Kagome's senses slowly opened to the reek of death and smoke... an odor which clung strongly to her human nose. The dense clouds by now were parting, she noted, as her gaze was affixed to the sky, and that could only mean one thing: the fight between InuYasha and Hiten was over. Her lifeless body creeped up into a sitting position, and depths of sienna were left to scan the rugged terrain. 

...InuYasha...? The hesitant and meek call broke the silence, yet the thick coating of quiet served as a menacing response. Wobbily, she took her stand and pulled a fist to her chest, her eyes now dancing about everywhere frantically for any sign of her battle-scarred companion. In all honesty, the girl would have been better off had she not found what she was looking for. 

There the body of him lay, turned inside out through the works of one incision, the flesh burnt to the point of crumpling away at the edges. His eyes were still open to half mast, a pupil-less and blank stare tracing his lifeless ambers. Streaks of silvery white were thrown about him, and a sheer layer of settled dust and ashes lay amist his rotting body. 

The girl's reaction, at first, was complete immobilty until she fell to her knees at his side. Shakily unstable hands hovered over the cadaverous figure to try to nudge him back to life, but the image lain before her was just too disturbing. Turning away from it completely, she started to sob... first very quietly and then getting louder and unstoppable as each possible result of this occurance presented itself anew in her mind. 

The next few countless hours filled Kagome's mind consummately with grief and uncertainty, as she coiled herself around InuYasha's arm... hoping that with enough tears, perhaps he would return to her. Muscles and thoughts grew stiff, her beating hot face buried into the silk of his sleeve undisturbed until a roar of thunder shook the seemingly unstable earth beneath her. A shadow rose from the piles of rocks, human in figure..standing there motionless with a long streaming braid flapping out. 

_H i t e n... was still alive..._ Kagome realized and panic struck her. He had won, he had defeated InuYasha...!! And now, now that she had little to no protection and salvation, he would come to steal the jewel shards and kill her to continue the vengence of Manten. Reaching into the haori top of InuYasha, the bottle which held the jewel shards they managed to gather was snatched up, and she rolled swiftly away. 

The dark outlines of the thunder god drifted over the form of InuYasha, and Kagome watched from behind a boulder as foreign hands impatiently rummaged through the sleeves and chest area of the hanyou's bloody body. It was obvious that he searched for what he had come after the hanyou for in the first place: the gatherings of Shikon no Tama fragments. 

When no objects had been retrieved, the loud and deep angry voice of Hiten cursed into the booming thunder, and Kagome ducked behind the boulder, her back pressed up against the rock as she felt a red stare cross the area she hid. Curled into a ball with her head buried into her knees, she began to weep quietly; Kagome half expected to be creeped up upon and quickly be struck down to her death any moment.   
. . . A n y m o m e n t . . . 

The thunder fading was unnoticed by her, and when she pulled her face from her knees she saw the sky was clear of the dark clouds, though a certain gloom still hung aloft in the atmosphere. Her fuku shifted as she stood back up, creased with wrinkles, tears, and lines of dirt. Downcast mahogany oculars could only stare forward in a dull comprehension and reaction of what was going on. Her decision on what to do was simple: bury the body of InuYasha and return the shards to Kaede, telling her that she could no longer retrieve them. 

A dismal decision she stood at, but what else could she do? Picking up a small and semi-charcoaled flower, her last shreds of respect and decency for anything fell upon the dead body of Manten. Walking away from the cadaverous heap, she pulled her rackety bike from the earthen rocks that had been dug up from the explosions. 

Shippou and InuYasha were somehow managed onto her bike, the kitsune resting in the small basket infront of the handlebars and InuYasha's body resting against her chest and on her lap. Across the nearly unnavigatable landscape she petaled that bike...staring ahead with a face wrought with undescribable emotions plastered upon her. 


	3. Returning Home Alone

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny   
**Author:** Soliloquys   
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. 

**Chapter 3: Returning Home Alone**

Their footsteps were traced all the way back to Kaede's village. Down the steep hill into the valley that concealed the village she pedaled her bike idly, feeling the dead weight of InuYasha's body slouch forward as if it were to fall off the bike and be twisted up in her wheels. One hand moved from her handlebars as she pulled his body back against her own. Blood oozed its way against her fingers, painting them red, and nausea threatened to overwhelm her as another dam of unstoppable tears flowed down her cold cheeks. 

Outside of the old woman's hut she stopped, not bothering to prop it up with a leg. Instead, the whole device collapsed onto its side, taking the young girl, the dead hanyou, and the sleeping fox tyke down with it. It hurt. It hurt the whole of her body as it was crushed between the bike, InuYasha, and the ground. Yet, it hurt not nearly as much as her heart; as her soul. 

Shippou finally awoke, finding himself tossed back into reality and onto the cold hard ground of a foreign place to him. Eyes grew wide when he saw Kagome holding her limp friend on the ground. "Kagome! What happened to InuYasha?!" His only answer was a desperate, crying whine. Her eyes stared beyond this world and were transfixed in a state of grief. Kaede shuffled off to the side of the bamboo flap to take in a raspy gasp of air. 

The world around her danced about as a fuzzy image. She could recall herself telling the old priestess that she could not explain herself now, and to bury InuYasha without her. 

Next thing she knew, she was in her mothers arms, sobbing violently and staining her mothers clothes with the demon blood that clung heavily to the school uniform. Up the stairs she was carried, fumbling with each step and being led into the bathroom. And now...now she was alone. Into the warm, scented water of her bath she sunk to her neck. Shaky fingers weaved into her hair, and she gripped at it as she gazed down into the water. "Get ahold of yourself Kagome." She told herself this, her hollow voice echoing against the bathroom tiles. 

"You have to accept it. You weren't that close with him anyway." But with each word, her voice quivered even more and she found her tears dripping into the bathwater, making tiny ripples that spread out to nothingness. Sobs consumed her for the remaining hours of the evening, until she was sent to bed...only to weep there as well. 

. . . . 

All demons are limited to the amount of grief they can spare for a close one, even a demon so close to his brother such as Hiten. Kagome was not the only one who returned home that evening alone. The thunder youkai returned to his castle as well, and so much like the fifteen year old girl, he was uncertain on what to next. What happened now? What would he do? 

Off to the side his weapon was thrown to be neglected. Slouching down on one of the tables, a leg was propped up on one of the chairs seated at the table, and he leaned forward with his elbow on his knee as he thought. The lines of his frigid eyes narrowed; the hanyou had the jewel shards that was for damned sure. Yet, he searched that corpse in and out for nothing. Where the hell could they have go---_that woman..._

Yes, it made sense now! He hadn't found her dead, charcoaled body lying around like it should have been. That bitch must've taken the jewels while he slept by his brother's side and made off with them! A low and full growl barreled from his chest and off his lips, spreading out into the empty castle's hallways and rooms and filling them with his irate mood. 

Manten could be revived with those jewel shards sure enough, and that pathetic human girl had his five shards plus the ones InuYasha had--nearly the full jewel if the girl wasn't lying about that either. He'd hunt her down, take the shards, and finish by killing her as well. Shifting on that table, he forced the chair his foot was propped on to collapse backwards and then stood. 


	4. Compromising with Evil

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny   
**Author:** Soliloquys   
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. 

**Chapter 4: Compromising with Evil**

The sooner she said good-bye to InuYasha and returned the jewel shards, the sooner she could get over this great weight of sadness and uncertainty. "It ended sooner than I expected..." she could find herself mumbling this outloud in synchronicity with her train of thought as she smoothed down the black dress she wore. It was plain, loose around her body with two spaghetti straps, and came down just above her knees...plain indeed. Yet the bland, dark thing fit her mood perfectly; she felt dry of all creativity. Her tears were used up completely as well, and she couldn't cry anymore. 

The glass bottle that contained the glimmering fragments was clutched in her hand as she stepped into the wellhouse's interior. The light from the morning filtered in around her body, and the well itself imprinted even more of a melancholy thought. She approached the wooden rim of the well and sat down on it in thought, staring down into the darkness her legs dangled over. _This would be the last time she had to go into the shadows of the wellhouse and slip through the past._

Leaning forward, she was pulled down into the darkness and engulfed with another dimension. Her eyes were closed for a long time, and she opened them to realize she was standing on the dirt bottom of the well. Pulling her hand that held the tiny bottle to her chest, she began to climb up the wall of vines and into the sunlight. 

Someone watched her. 

Her arms clung to the wooden rim of the well as she struggled to get over it with only one hand. Pulling herself up halfway, she rested both elbows on the rim and stayed in that position. Something clicked into place underneath her, and she looked down to see somewhat of a shattered mirror glaring the sunlight back into her eyes. Wincing a little, her face quickly molded into a look of terror. This shattered mirror was nothing of the sort; it was the blade of Hiten's thunder-pike...---and it was against her throat. 

All suspicions and rising terrors were fulfilled when she was grabbed by the back of her neck with cold rough hands. Fingertips curled into the flesh and make the girl pull all of her limbs together as if in a fetal position while she hung there. Oh gods, he had hunted her down! A slight whine of fear came from her when his voice spoke. "You will die no matter what you do." Each arctic word stabbed every part of her backside that faced him, and she found herself unable to breath back in. Kagome continued to listen to his far from warm voice whip at her relentlessly as fear welled up in her throat and her stomach churned. "So make this easy on yourself and give me the shards I know you have." 

Never could she just hand them over. Never would she just give the shards InuYasha and herself worked so hard for to this monster. Yet her defiance was quiet, overcome by terror and self-pity. He would have to kill her and steal them from her dead body. Her decision to dangle there trembling, she could tell, did not please Hiten one bit. The hot bladed edge of the thunder pike was removed away from her throat, stabbed into the ground, and was accompanied by a growl deep from within him. This made her cringe even more; death was soon to come. 

"You damned, fucking human wench! I have not the time to wait for you to crawl out of your shell. _I said give me them now!_" The stiff hand that held the shard bottle was wrenched from her chest forcefully, and she was able to suck in her breath when something in her wrist snapped. Her whole body pulsed with pain in that moment, all beating back to her hand. The fingers of that hand flexed out, and the tiny bottle rolled from her palm. Twisted mahogany eyes had shot open, and she cried out in pain. Next thing she knew, she was shoved out of the way and into the ground by her neck. 

She stumbled, but she didn't fall. She was alive...she knew this through the constant pain pounding through her wrist and up her arm. The limp hand was clutched with the other and she did the first thing that came to her mind: run. And run she did. Through the low branches and weeds she made an aimless dash for Kaede's village. Sense would have told her she was leading Hiten right to the village, but all judgment was washed over in a blot of panic. Her feet pounded into the ground, her legs sliced by the weeds she ran through until she broke out into the field. Her black dress was caught around her legs, but it didn't hinder her speed. She had successfully ran into the old priestess's occupied hut. 

Patience with humans was one thing Hiten never had--especially with this one. So whenever she gave him no response and curled tighter into her own embrace, the fine threads had finally snapped...and so had her wrist. The descending bottle was snatched from the air by no gentle means, and the fragile glass was shattered in his fist. "I'm going to chew a hole right through her, and I'll make sure she's alive to suffer it all." His lips were tight and his sharp fangs were bared as he growled this out while watching her run away. How pathetic. Was she so ignorant to the fact that he could so easily catch up to her? 

By the time the shards were tucked away beneath his frontal chest armor, the girl was out of his vista. Every loose article about him shifted as he walked to his pike and pulled the hot blade from the smoking earth. Into the air he went with the use of his spectral wheels and managed to see her disappear into one of the village huts. "I hope you're ready to suffer!" His voice rung high over the land; it was by all means serious and threatening, bold and strong, and definitely angry. 

"Kaede-sama! Please you need to help me!" There was no delay when she flew through the bamboo flap of the hut's entrance. The young miko fell into the old priestess's lap and broke out in tears, still clutching her fractured wrist. The old woman was startled, but she slipped off to take hold of her weapon before turning back to Kagome with a grim expression. 

"Kagome-sama, what is it?" 

Kagome struggled to even sit up, every inch of her quivering. "Hiten. He hunted me down. He's coming after me. He took the shards. I need you to help me get them back...!!" 

An old, dry hand helped Kagome to her feet, and both women went outside. Despite being disoriented, Kagome caught wind of the oncoming attack and shoved the old woman out of the way. Both fumbled and fell over one another, and behind them a brilliant blue sphere of lightening plummeted through the ground. An extremely bright explosion engulfed the area with light, smoke, and chunks of earth and wood. 

Hiten was perched not so high in the air above this scene, one arm gripping his infamous weapon that was directed towards the destruction. "Heh." He leered down at the dissipating smoke and expecting to find a few charcoaled bodies, yet his eyes were narrowed and his face molded into an expression that perfectly displayed his ennui. Only a large crater and ruined structures of wood. It didn't take too long to find his prey plus the company of a wrinkled and spent priestess. "That is your protection? An old hide of skin?!" 

An arrow was lifted and aimed for Hiten's head by Kaede. "Quickly. Tell me where you see the shards on his being." 

Dust and air whipped past her, the long flowing black dress flapping about her weak body. Long bangs swept across her forehead, but her depths of sepia glared up at the thunder god. Easily the ethereal glow of the jewel shards was spotted at Hiten's chest area. The light shone out through the undetectable cracks in his armor. "Kaede-sama! The shards are located beneath his armor at his chest. On the upper right area where the blue ribbon crosses!" Her eyes never left the bastard in the sky, but she called this out loud and clear so the old woman could hear. 

The message was relayed to another it was not intended for. Hiten's sharp hearing caught on to every syllable the girl spoke, and his face faded into a scowl whenever he realized that she knew exactly where he placed his shards. Yet, not a fragment stuck out. Surely she couldn't-- 

The thunder youkai's thoughts were cut short when a broadheaded arrow tip struck his armor, and sparked energy into his face. Despite the fact his armor did not show any signs of damage, he was outraged and glared down to the old woman who held the longbow--the string still vibrating. Growling, he thrust his spear at an angle, and a cackling blade of lightening sliced into the earth infront of the old priestess. The younger girl would find herself with another thing to occupy her mind other than saving the old woman this time. Hiten dropped out of the sky like a hawk and snatched the girl's throat, and then took her up into the air. It was clear in his voice he was close to madness with all of these interjections. "Are you able to detect the jewel shards?" 

Once more she found herself wrung dry of breath, and gripped at his strong arm with only one hand. It appeared it was the only physical strength she had, for the rest of her body dangled there helplessly and limp. Within, anger boiled, and when his prying question sunk in, she found enough energy and gull to grin...he might find room for mercy because of this ability of hers. Every word was coarse and strained, but her tone carried somewhat of a certainty. "I can. Even ones miles away." 

There was a prolonged silence. During that time, Kagome was able to find a way to pull in enough air to function with through her constricted throat. Suddenly his death grip released her, and she began to fall. For a second a flurry of panic and excitement filled her, until the comforting softness of a pillow curled around her. She recongnized this feel, and when she opened up her eyes she was assured she had landed on that black storm cloud Manten rode around on. 

So, he was going to spare her just for this. Her hand came up to sooth her throat, and abandoned the shifting agony on her wrist for now; she was running out of hands to cradle her afflictions. Kagome's eyes were wide in fear and surprise of his decision, and she looked up to him when he turned away from her and watched as his eyes scanned the land below. The long pole and jagged tip of his weapon danced with bolts of lightening, and a sphere of blinding bluish white light began to form at the tip. 

"No! Don't destroy this place!" The young miko lurched forward in a hurry, gripping his weapon with one hand to try to veer its aim off to the side and her other hand clinging to the round orange armor that decked his forearm. Hiten turned to glare at her from the corner of his eye, growling with a disgusted and agitated look. 

"You've been given enough mercy. Don't push it!" And his elbow sunk into her soft gut. Her hands loosened and she fumbled backwards onto her side, gasping for air and trembling in twisting pain. He mutilated InuYasha while he was alive...this bastard would _not_ anniliate his grave! Tears finally found their way to her eyes, and she leapt at him again. This time her fingers curled into the hair at the side of his head and yanked at it...and although her wrist protested with paralyzing pulses of pain, she gripped it even tighter as her unbroken limb pressed into his cheek. She didn't care about pain or reason at this point--she was furious. 

"You heard me! I will not let you desolate this village of people or InuYasha's grave!" Every word was strong and demanding. Yet, as she expected, it was soon followed by more damage to her frail body. 

"Get the hell off of me!" His loud, thundrous voice slammed into her, followed by the back of his armored fist that struck her temple. 

Kagome's head jerked off to the side and she felt aloft in that moment. Her body drifted off the cloud-or so it seemed- and descended towards the ground. All injuries about her were numbed, and her eyes rolled up into her head. A blanket of darkness folded her as a whole during that short plummet, and she never felt the bone-breaking thud her body made against the ground. Thunder chuckled in the background, and dust settled over a lifeless and touseled body. 

( For the sake of the story, I'm assuming Hiten's wheels are repaired to mint condition like InuYasha's kimono is from time to time. I'm sorry for the drawn-out wait for this chapter. Stay tuned for more. ) 


	5. Kagome's Stupor

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny   
**Author:** Soliloquys   
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. 

**Chapter 5: Kagome's Stupor**

For days atleast all the girl knew was a numb agony rushing through her frail and beaten body. This drawn-out plateau of feeling finally came to an end only to allow the dominating pain of her afflictions to rule over her body as soon as she awakened. It was indescribable; all of her sore body parts--especially that wrist--would throb in pain until her mind pulsed out over it and brought more pain anew. 

A few moments kept the girl paralyzed from reaching out of her shell to observe her surroundings. Finally she shifted her thoughts so she could feel where she lay. Wherever she was, she lay curled up in a form fitting, soft textured comfort that nearly swallowed her up. A good amount of wind also ran over her body and through her hair. The dress around her legs, she could feel, flapped against her knees in the wind as well. Both eyes creaked open to mere slivers and resumed to lift so they were half-lidded. The scene laid before her was a blend of black and light blue; the two colors often seemed to crash and smooth over one another. Lazily she blinked to clear her blurry vision. Now she saw the soft rolling lumps of Hiten's storm cloud, and in the background lay a clear sky. 

It was the first time she had seen a clear sky in a week. It was beautiful, but her thoughts were cut short by another tremoring pulse at her temple, followed by the inevitable question--where was Hiten? Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to let out atleast the smallest groan, but she felt her throat dry and tight. Her mouth wanted to water, and her stomach felt uneasy, but she couldn't do much about it. Not only was she pinned down like this because of her pain, she really didn't feel like moving. There was no reason to twitch a finger or shift. Why let Hiten know she's conscious or alive? 

The uneasiness in her gut was now leaping about, trying to boil up to her throat. Yet she didn't let it- there she stayed and just tried to keep it down. It was revolting nonetheless, and finally the miko had to roll over to the edge of the cloud and bend half way down. Gripping her throat, seconds later whatever her stomach had refused to digest now poured from her, flying out behind the moving cloud in the wind. Her mouth tasted rotten, and now the horrid taste in her mouth made her eyes water. Then she cried. 

For a long time she did not move from that position, sobbing her heart out silently and hoping that the wind would bring her tears to InuYasha's grave. Backing up onto the cloud again, she slumped dangerously close to the edge and wiped her eyes with her finger. The girl didn't have to look, she felt the icy cold stare piercing the bruised flesh of her back. So much for trying to play dead. 

I n u Y a s h a . . . first his body had been mutilated, and now his grave was demolished as well. Could he not even rest in peace? Anger, the exact feeling she had whenever she was thrown from the cloud, surfaced. That..._bastard_. Shifting a bit, she turned her head to look at Hiten sitting on the other side of the cloud. She felt her nails dig into her palms and found herself glaring upon him. 

The dark outlines of his eyes seemed to pull in towards one another, his tanned face unmoving like the rest of his body. Blood red irises that had been staring forward now drifted off to the side to look at her. Yet, she felt no fear--even after his lips had been tugged down into a frown. For several moments, they merely glared at one another. 

He must've enjoyed being glared at for some reason. The lines of his face creased into a smirk and he turned away from her. His eyes closed and she heard what could be passed as chuckling. Biting down upon her lip, she tried to loosen her throat to say something. Then her eyes flickered to his lap where his hand rested, palm up. There was...a flower held in his hand. It was the same flower she had given to Manten the day she left the battlefield. 

But that didn't change much. She had laid a flower upon Manten's grave, and Hiten completely disrespected InuYasha by annihilating his! Her body trembled and she looked back to the youkai's face. It had turned into a frown once more. There was another length of silence and then he spoke. "You better learn to control your emotions." 

Oh, just like how he controlled his emotions whenever Manten died?! He went of his damned rocker. Idly she pulled herself to sit up and looked away, dark tendrils blowing in the wind. Her dress was gripped tightly with both hands, and she stared off into the distance. There it was again, the silence. A sigh escaped her lips, but not completely; Hiten's voice interrupted. 

"I never destroyed that village." Kagome looked a little confused and she looked back at him. He was glaring at her, of course, and her eyes dropped down to his lap where his fingers curled over that small flower. There was nothing to say, so she turned away once again and exhaled. There was no room to believe that he was an honorable type of youkai--she still hated him to such degrees. And now they were going off somewhere, alone, and she had nothing to protect her from his wrath. 

Just where _were_ they going?


	6. Revival of Manten

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny  
**Author:** Soliloquys  
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter 6: Revival of Manten**

Kagome watched from the thunder cloud as Hiten stepped on with the enourmous cadaver of his brother cradled against him. They had traveled back to the dreary castle smothered in mist to retrieve the corpse and take it somewhere. Obviously the thunder god had gone back to the battlefield while she was unconscious. That would explain how he had that flower whenever she woke up. The heavy body was dumped off next to her, and she only had to catch a glimpse of it to nearly retch. His body didn't appear to be rotting, but it surely had a bilious odor wafting about it, and his pupils were rolled up into the back of his head left to only show the whites of his eyes between those narrow slits. Gripping her knees, she felt her stomach lurch up towards her chest but she quickly swallowed, turning away. 

Softly settling down next to Manten, Hiten watched the girl keep her head turned in the other direction. Turning the corpse over so his large belly was shown, he glanced at the girl again, a frown displayed on his face. Her face was obstructed at that certain angle, and her touseled lochs clung heavily to her cheeks. Apparently she wished not to see the dry decaying slit InuYasha had given his dearest brother. 

While trying to swallow down the sensation to retch at the smell, she choked on a yelp whenever the back of her head was gripped tightly and suddenly her face was no more than an inch away from the wound in which she dreaded to even think of, both her mouth and nose taking in the pugnant air. For days she hadn't eaten, and for once this was a good thing; nothing had come up this time, and gag after gag was dry. Yet some sort of unconsciousness forced her to quell the heaving sounds whenever Hiten spoke fourth, growling. "Open your eyes and look down upon the maimed carcass your friend turned my precious brother into!" 

Yanking her head off to the side and out of his grasp, a full-fledged glare threatened of a rare retort that was about to come. From his hands came a few strands of ebony hair that had been pulled out, but quickly they fluttered off in the wind as they were moving by now. "You're so repulsive! I would never do such a thing to you!" 

Instead of lashing out at her, he smirked upon the thought of InuYasha's body. "Even if you had the power to do so, I would savor the taste and smell of his charcoaled remains--merely a trophy of my victory." 

Her eyes narrowed, and her body trembled as she released her reply in a lower tone. "You're a monster... I would never be of assistance to you..." The eyes she glared into did not seem to take this badly but rather as a compliament, and his lids lowered, the deep crimson slits keeping a malevolent composure. 

A hand slipped up to her neck, and upon his touch she froze. He appeared to know that he would impress such a reaction upon her, and a grin seized his lips. "But you will be, and very soon enough. I can be _very_ convincing, you foolish human wench..." She had noted, through her sudden flux of terror that he had gestured down to the body of Manten laid out between them with a simple descending nod. Immediately it was clear to her, although he had not spoken of detail on the matter. Her unique abilities would be used for the revival of Manten through the jewel shards. 

Her body was shoved back, and the thunder god settled down again, looking down upon his brother in adoration with one hand settled gently upon his head. Then he turned away, seeming to be thoughtless due to the carefree expression on his face. But this hadn't landed her in any better of a position. Manten would be brought back to life; what InuYasha took from Hiten would be given a second chance, but what about her companion who had also lost his life? 

She felt depressed about this sudden swerve of unfairness--that the wrongdoing side would be given this exception of life. Nostalgia mixed with the ever sensation to throw up, for now the hunger raging through her empty body forgotten. In the distance, she knew a long and abusive journey was to come. Unsafe expectations of her were about to be put to use, and through all of this, the helplessness of her situation weighed her down so much that she did not respond to the warming comfort of the sunshine that enveloped her. 

( Oh my readers. I am so sorry about this extensive wait for my next update. I was hindered by so many things. I hope you'll forgive me! Anyhow, I've noticed that this story is sort of told through the viewpoint of Kagome, mostly. If you don't like that, say something about it. Otherwise, look for another update in about a month. Heh heh! n-n; )


	7. The Old Witch

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny  
**Author:** Soliloquys  
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter 7: The Old Witch**

Whenever Manten's corpse had been dumped beside her, Kagome never thought that she would have the stomach to endure a rotting cadaver next to her for too long. But she was surprised that she hadn't thrown up after several hours of being mere inches away from that thing had passed. For the duration of their trip to wherever, she had had her face nuzzled between her knees and her eyes closed, trying her damnest to think of something else. From thought to thought her mind idly wandered aimlessly through fantasies that seemed farther now than ever before. Happiness seemed unreachable, and the bruises which speckled her skin would be a constant reminder of that until they disappeared.

Now she recalled what few memories of InuYasha she had: his dismissal of her help during the fight with Yura, his cold voice which seemed to be spiked with hatred towards her, his tenderness towards that fraud mother of his, and ultimately his immediate response to her cry for help-well, almost immediate. In the end, she missed him, but no more tears would come. Crying at this point seemed useless. Her head was lifted for a moment to regard the brothers with no emotion, but then she looked forward into the grey sky that had seemed endless for too long.

But something was visible beyond the parting mist that cloaked this lofty terrain they traveled over. Peering into the wind, she saw that there was a deep gourge in the rocky earth whose bottom was unseen, and the high plateaus were joined together only by a rickety old bridge. This was apparently the destination they had finally reached, for Hiten's pike was lifted towards the skies right over the stone structure that lay on the other side. From the mist came a bolt of lightening that cracked infront of the structure, and a low roar filled the area. Off in the forests, a few birds scattered and cried.

Her chest heaved once, and she held in her breath as she glanced at Hiten-who was grinning now. The dark, soft cloud was descending towards the opening to the structure. She now saw that the building appeared to be part of the mountain facade itself, a great opening dug out-and a few chimneys jutting out into the grey skies. There on the wide and long ledge before the land dropped she saw a figure, crouched over a tub. Letting her breath out, she felt herself shudder once more and glanced nervously down at Manten's body.

Uneasiness came upon her again. She was going to be boiled down at one point for Manten's hair ... was she going to be minced and molded into a living organ so that Manten would live again? Was she going to be sacrificed? The skin of her ankles turned white as she tightened her grip on them moreso. Then her frail body jumped at the sound of Hiten's voice. Slowly, Kagome turned to face his smirking expression.

"What? Don't you ever relax?" She had only encountered these types of looks previous to Manten's tragedy. It was still a dark smile, but he appeared to be amused. Maybe, she pondered as she realized this change, it was the thought that he might be getting his dearest brother back that allowed him to be his old self again. She opened her mouth to reply, but he shifted and stood up.

His crimson eyes were upon her, narrowed, and he gripped her arm-though not as roughly as he had before-and helped her to her feet. She found that she needed this, for her knees were weak and she strained to stand even with his aide. A black slippered foot stepped onto the dusty ground, and she followed along behind him unsteadily.

The figure surely had a gender to it now. An old witch, it was, with a hunched form, a long pointy nose, eyes that bulged a bit unnaturally from her face, and pursed lips painted red. She was kneading a type of mucky clay in that tub, her hands completely devoured by it as well as her sleeves. Even parts of her face were smudged reddish-brown. She turned her head to look upon the visitors-her face lined with the wrinkles of a crazy scowl.

"It's not every day that I, Urasue, get visitors." She eyed the brilliant armor upon the youkai, and then the timid little beauty behind him. She frowned now. "What do you want?"

The dust beneath him stirred as he strode even closer to her, his face serious and threatening again and his eyes glowing through the mist that hung aloft at this altitude. "You're bringing my brother back to me."

Her bony hands grabbed a scythe on her other side and she swung it out so that it stopped him dead in his steps, only a few feet away from her. He felt the cold resonating from the bladed edge against his neck, and glanced down to see a blurry image of his face. Then he looked back down to her hideous complexion as her coarse voice filled his ears. "I'm not doing anything for you."

The dark lines of his eyes narrowed, and the pike that rested in both of his hands now swung up and around, the poles clashing and her weapon slapped out of her hands. Kagome watched at a safe distance, but still flinched at a brief spark of lightening when the two devices collided. The rickety thing clunked on the ground, and she hissed as did the skin of her hands. Her unmovable scowl shifted, and the old witch corrected herself. "-Atleast not for something in return."

Kagome breathed regularly now, watching the two ruggedly negiotiate and exchange glares of distaste. No focus was upon her, and she felt as if she was merely a spectator until one pair of eyes, she felt, were rested on her. The witch gazed at her for a long time, as if interested in her all of a sudden. Her heart skipped. Oh kamis. Hiten turned around to look at her as well. The young girl could only see one eye; the other was obstructed by the angle of his face.

"...No. I need her for something else."

Once again she was worked up, even as they both looked back and glared at one another. What exactly were they saying...? Then her eyes widened, as the glint of the jewel shards caught her eye. For the second time, she focused on their conversation.

"Damn it. Here, then, you can have these." His dark brows were pulled into a deep scowl. It was apparent he didn't want to give them up.

But finally the witch looked satisfied. Her wide lips spread into a smile to reveal a set of crooked teeth. Those insanely large eyes danced from the shards, to Hiten, to the ningen, and then to the corpse back on the cloud.

"Very well then."

( I really want to apologize for this ridiculous waiting time. Prod me in email if I ever take this long again. I think the story is finally going to pick up after this point. There's a bit of a surprise I have in store. Well, maybe its a surprise. It'll come in the next chapter or the one after. I'm not sure yet. I have plenty of ideas. Hee. I thank you all for the encouraging reviews. I know some of you guys are begging me to make this a Hiten x Kagome story. Maaaybe. ;D)


	8. Axyridis's Shard

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny  
**Author:** Soliloquys  
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Axyridis, however, is my own.

**Chapter 8: Axyridis's Fragment**

( At the request of some readers, I'm going to try to tell this from Hiten-sama's POV. It might be difficult, since he isn't around for too long to judge what he might think. Actually, I can tell you right now it won't be from his POV for the whole chapter. Enjoy reading, and tell me what you guys think could be improved. I'm trying to make the chapters longer too. )

_Manten . . . I never would have thought to go to such measures to get you back._ The cold wind blew against his face once again, and he peered into the distance. He was sitting there in the front of the progressing storm cloud, his legs hanging off the edge. From his kimono top he pulled out the glass bottle of jewel shards, recalling that bitter negotiation with the damned old witch. She actually thought that she would be paid ahead of time. In fact, he planned to screw up the compromise-- to swallow the jewel shards right infront of her and watch his brother tear her crooked body apart. The thought brought a wry smile to his face, and then he tucked the shards away. Had he not been able to smell the mixed scents coming off the girl behind him, he would have forgotten her presence.

Upon turning to look back at her, Hiten saw that she had curled herself up with her knees propped up and her cheek resting on one. The girl... did he even know her name? The only name he knew to call her by was, well, that bastard Inuyasha's woman. A sour look overcame him at the recollection of that name. Suddenly, he didn't want to relate her to that halfling anymore. His voice was strong but dull and lifeless. "What's your name?"

She looked worn down, he noted, when he saw her jump as his voice tore through the silence. Her face confirmed this, for her hair had been in the way before she tilted her head to face him: the original skin tone had blanched and her expression was exhausted. She smelled of bruised flesh, bile, and uncleanliness. He saw her lips tremble as she just above whispered a response. "...Kagome."

The haze was cleared. He remembered the hanyou screaming out this name, although he hadn't thought such a thing would be important enough to remember--so he hadn't. But one thing was clear: she was out of it and would be useless until she was sustained by food and rest. The girl was swaying between consciousness and the other. He had turned away from her to see the cloud descending towards a village.

Said village was ordinary enough. The fertile land was scattered with hutts, streaked with dirt roads, and ants of people idled their way about. But towards the lefthanded outskirts, upon a high plateau lay one large temple.Hiten watched as the bright fields grew an ominous shadow; everywhere he went thunder clouds trailed along behind him like the exhaust of a plane in the sky. After they were above the ground so many hundred feet, the ribbons about him shifted as he stood up and turned to look at the girl, whose head hung low once again. He dawdled on the thought that he had driven her to despair...the liveliness inside of her had been snuffed out--perhaps because she needed sustenance so much.

Ignoring the surprise filling her expressions, he pulled her onto her feet and held her limp body against his for support, then jumped off the side of the cloud. "Come on."

It almost felt as if she was home now, she realized, laying in the bedding on the floor and gazing up at the wooden planks of the hutt's ceiling. Perhaps if she had been unconscious through the whole experience she would have been fooled into not knowing any better; Hiten had, by some means, convinced the villagers to bring some life back into her or else. Then she had been escorted to the hotsprings where she was bathed.

The bamboo flap was brushed to the side and the miko turned to look as a woman sat a tray of food and water down beside her, then bowed and left just as discreetly as she had entered. Supporting herself with one elbow, she leaned over the food and gazed down at it. It had been a while since she had eaten. And even after countless hours, she assumed, of sleeping her body would not keep up if she didn't eat the rice and vegetables before her. Later on that day the same woman returned to take away the empty bowls. She pursed her lips at the sight of the sleeping girl; she would be taken care of alright.

The peasant woman sat the tray on the ground just outside and began strolling up to the plateau and into the temple. There was no use hiding what happened just today any longer. She slid the door open and bowed immediately. "Axyridis-sama, I--"

"Shh... I have witnessed from up here what went on. You need not tell me." A feminine voice spoke from the shadows, and the sunlight poured across the room. Strawberry, glossy lips were seen for a moment before a fan was snapped and unfolded to cover up her face.

"You approve of us following the youkai's orders and bringing the girl back to health, then?"

The chiming feminine laughter rolled out a bit and the obscured figured nodded. "Yes. She looked very ill when she was dragged into our village, but my does she look promising . . . I do not know who that arrogant youkai was, but he will find that giving us a week to revive her was a little too long."

"So you're going to..."

"Of course." Behind that fan, those glossy lips melted into a grin and a fang peeked out.

As she stepped outside, she winced into the sunlight and brought up an arm to shade her face. The skies were clear. Her heart ached to feel the warmth of the sun. It meant that Hiten wasn't nearby. "I see you're feeling better." Off to the side the same woman who'd nursed her for the past few days was approaching her. She smiled and nodded.

As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she let her arm drop to her side, feeling her fingertips against the silken fabric of her yukata; it was indeed very generous for them to give her such a beautiful one as well: soft pink with red roses printed on the sleeves and hems. Despite feeling comfort in being surrounded by humans, her stomach flopped at the thought of him. He had really left her to be taken care of by these humans. She dreaded his return and what he would do to these peaceful people. But she wasn't left to think too much. Like a pin pricking her neck, she felt its presence. A jewel shard. Her eyes widened and she turned in the direction she felt it reaching from. Up there...in that temple.

Narrowing those blood red eyes on Kagome, he spotted her walking up towards the temple set off to the side of the village. And back into the shadows of the foliage he disappeared.

She had waited until sunset to slip outside and go up into the temple to investigate. Perhaps none of the villagers knew of the jewel shard's presence? She certainly hadn't heard so much as an utterance about a demon or anything evil for that matter watching over them. She slid the door open to find the inner room dark and full of shadows except for the brilliance of the jewel shard glimmering from the far side. A firm hand gripped her shoulder and she gasped. Had it been a trap!

"You're healthy enough to walk so we can leave now." Her muscles relaxed only a little. Afterall, something worse could've grabbed her; something that saw nothing more in her than a good meal. She turned around to stare up at Hiten, the cold figure as always. To be technical and all, she still had three days to 'heal' and all before he was due back. ...Had he actually stuck close to watch over her?

She felt him pull at her to go back down the hill when she resisted. "Wait.." What about the jewel shard? If he ever found out she knew they were this close to a fragment and hadn't mentioned anything, he would probably kill her on the spot. Her eyes widened and she felt herself breathless, not because of the glare Hiten gave her, but because of the feminine and ominous laughter that seemed to creep from the shadows and up her spine.

"She's right. Stay a while, won't you?" Leaning from the shadows, the lady began to approach them. She definitely was someone the thunder brothers would've gone after. The elegant kimono left too much for imagination, but she had no shame in hiding that gorgeous face, pale but decorated with different shades of red and orange at the lips and around the eyes. But her hair and eye color did not change even as she stepped into the light--as they remained black as night.

"Hiten, she--" Kagome couldn't get anything else out when she was pulled out of the way and behind his back. He lifted his pike and shot a glance at her over his shoulder.

"Get out of my way. Go outside somewhere and I'll find you when I'm done." He watched her quietly nod and back away. When the thunder youkai looked back, he saw that the woman was frowning.

"But you just ordered the life of the party to go away. How foolish. Do you think you can make up for that?" The many layers of her kimono had been eased off her shoulders, and she leaned up against his chest with her hands.

Back outside, Kagome kept her head bowed low. She had an idea of what Hiten was going to do with that beautiful woman. Once again she wasn't left to overthink things when two hands quickly clasped around her mouth from behind. Two more hands and then another pair worked at tying her up. Despite her relentless squirming, she was hauled off somewhere.

By now the lady was working kisses along his neck, the youkai's head tilted back and whose reaction was hidden. She stopped suddenly and revealed that fang when she grinned. A groan came from Hiten next, and she stepped back to watch blood seep from the crack in his armor where the dagger had wedged its way. "Now, if I remember correctly, that pretty little human girl was about to come inside before you got in the way."

On the other side, three peasants bowed. "Here she is, Axyridis-sama." Squirming just as violently as before, Kagome rolled onto her back and lay quiet when she felt slender fingers wrap around her neck. She opened up her eyes to spy the lady before, only this time her eyes were an orangish-red. "Oh hohoho... how I was ever right about this one, girls! Leave us be and keep that youkai occupied."

She had to gasp for air, and she watched as the humans practically drug Hiten outside. She noted the trail of blood, not to mention the pissed off expression on his face. But she was already occupied when Axyridis spoke once again. "I'm very sure that devouring you will make me even more attractive when I wake up tomorrow."

( I'm leaving off here because I feel like it. ;P Don't worry--you guys won't have to wait for months for the next chapter because I have a lot of free time since its summer vacation and all. In fact, I promise to have the next chapter up in a week or two at the most. I just need some comments and all. I'd also like to point out that Axyridis is, I believe, part of the scientific name for a lady bug. So yes, "Axyridis-sama" is a lady bug youkai. )


	9. One Down

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny  
**Author:** Soliloquys  
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Axyridis, however, is my own.

**Chapter 9: One Down**

"My, my, my... sucking you dry of your beauty will be quite amusing--" Axyridis turned her head over her shoulder, half hissing and half growling whenever the wall yielded and made a great snapping sound as one of the female servants' bodies crashed inside and landed--quite lifeless--on the floor not far away where she hovered over the young miko. When she turned back she noticed that the girl had wormed her way against the wall. A chuckle rolled from her lips and she reached her arm across the girls chest to assure her that she would go nowhere. "Unfortunately, I find myself short of time to make this _pleasurable_ for either of us."

Kagome looked up at the yasha and winced... then noticed a second shadow looming over her body. Not a moment later she watched the woman scrunch her shoulders up into her neck, all of this accompanied by a surprised scream as she was launched across the room by her neck. She closed her eyes to brace herself for whatever was next, then heard a plipping noise on the floor just next to her. She followed the drips of blood up to the silhouette that was undeniably Hiten. Once more this uneasy relief loosened her muscles just the same as the time he'd gripped her shoulders just outside this very temple. But her mind was by no means put to ease when she heard his voice grind out and scratch the walls (or what remained of them) as if it was sandpaper. "Sorry but I already plan to use her beauty for something else in the end."

Wha--What was that! What did he mean by that? She shifted uneasily and let out a shaky exhale. For a moment she spaced out to consider what he intended to use her for, but felt his hands tear her bindings apart and grip her shoulders. Looking up, she just about choked to see that he was giving her the same disgusted looks he had been giving the later. Her legs scrambled to get footing on the ground when he pulled her onto her feet and leaned in closer to mutter. "This time when I tell you to leave us be, do so! Get out of here, for fuck's sake!" He twirled her around and shoved her towards the entrace, grabbing the abandoned pike from the ground on his way.

Axyridis had pulled herself off the ground and pushed herself to stand, those ebony strands thrown everywhere. "You fucking bastard..." Her voice had dropped considerably and she seemed to be stretching her hands out. Then from her back, something ripped through the silken kimono and stretched far out behind her. In doing this, the several layers were torn apart to reveal everything from the waist and up.

It was at that time Hiten realized Axyridis wasn't as womanly as she had originally given off. He gazed at a pale, flat chest and the overall upper posture of a man. Behind him, two pairs of wings stretched out, the harder looking pair a burnt sienna color with large black dots. The wings underneath these were somewhat transparent and frail looking. Hiten smirked at this--the poor guy had been stealing the beauty of women to make it appear as though he was a true lady bug, huh? The thunder demon pointed the tip of that pike at the growling lady bug.

Her face contorted into a deep frown as she briskly walked down the hill. The back of her hand was pressed to her lips--did he think that she had _tried_ to get tied down! The ground beneath her shook and she turned around to see the temple destroyed from the inside out by what she could only identify as a whirlpool of lightning that extended out so far before it gradually died off. Standing there, she narrowed her eyes as a gust of smoke blew her way, and was only able to see the figure of Hiten standing over what she guessed was the burnt corpse of Axyridis. "Heh.." She just about half squeaked. Well, that was quick.

Her insides coiled into one another whenever he turned towards her and began walking. As he got closer, she saw that he was looking down to the ground, but gripped her arm and began to drag her off. "Let's go." She hesitated and then stood her ground, pulling back to resist. _Why...should I be afraid to tell him? Isn't that what I'm for?_ Glaring back at her, she saw a small window of opportunity to tell him what she'd known before all of this had happened.

"Listen! ...That demon back there.. has a jewel shard." She could play it all out right now: he would get pissed off that she hadn't told him sooner and would lash out at her. So sufficed to say she was dumbfounded when a little smile tugged at his lips.

He then turned his back on her. "Go get it."

The girl was half worked up by the time she had come back, the shikon no kakera clenched in one hand while the other arm wrapped around to lightly hug herself. Retrieving that shard from Axyridis's corpse had been disturbing, especially considering where it had been. Onto the thunder cloud she stepped, then presented it to him and sat down almost immediately, her legs folded beneath her. Off to the side she saw the youkai sit, pulling a cloth out from his armor to polish the blade of his thunder pike clean.

All these questions she hadn't bothered to think of before she had been nursed now came to her mind while they drifted away towards the horizon, the land below them stretching and passing by. "What are we doing now? I mean...Manten. Are you leaving him there with that woman?"

She could hear him snicker and he leaned back, tilting his head to look over at her. "That old bitch needs about a week to work on his body. She wants the shards I have, and even though she's not going get them in the end..." His face twisted into a smirk. "She needs to think she's going to. So I have to find four more jewel shards to give them to her. Then as soon as Manten is alive, we'll simply kill her, take them back, and continue where we left off." And when that happens, Kagome concluded, she would be used for a potion. Or would he reconsider? If she did help him -- "Where's the next one?" He had turned even moreso to face her, propped on one elbow while his body was twisted at the waist. She said nothing, appearing to be confused by his question "You're feeling better, so surely you can pick up the slightest trace of another shard, right?"

"Uh..no. Nothing. There must not be one closeby." Her voice faultered at the sight of his changing expression. Oh shit. Think, Kagome, think! "B-but...I witnessed the shikon no tama shatter and all of the shards went off in every direction, so I'm sure that we'll come across one sooner or later. Even if we go--"

"You were _there_ whenever it broke?" His brow lifted and he shifted to face her, appearing to be quite interested in his own question.

"Yes. In fact, I was the one who fired an arrow at it and caused..it...to..." She didn't need to dawdle on her words for much longer, the thunder demon threw his head back and errupted in a spell of laughter, one hand on his stomach as he did so. He mumbled something about being an idiot through chuckles.

Almost at once she was angry at herself for even bringing that up. He must think pretty lowly of her now: some weakling girl who was stupid enough to shoot at the Jewel of Four Souls and cause all of this madness. His laughter died and he took in a deep breath. She didn't look up at him, but rather kept herself hunched over. He sighed off to the side and muttered. "So you're a good enough shot to hit the jewel and one of my wheels. That works out well. Next time we stop at a village you can get a bow and perhaps take care of yourself. Because I _will not_ look out for a woman."

Biting her tongue, she bowed her head even lower and quietly sulked. Those two instances had been the only time she fired and hit the target--and that was because her arrows had been guided. Now he was under the impression that she was half decent at archery and he didn't need to look out for her. That halved her chances of survival in their next encounter with whatever they had to fight to obtain another fragment. How did she get into these situations? There was a moment of silence until Hiten said something totally off-key. "You clean up nice."

Jerking her head up, she stared at him, bewildered. But he really didn't seem to make anything out of it, the guy was relaxed and his tone had been somewhat matter-of-fact and leisured. It didn't mean anything, and the girl couldn't quite figure out if she was relieved or if she was upset that he could say something like that. But of course. The first time she'd seen him he had his arm around a gorgeous woman, and topless too. He was one of those guys who simply used women for sex and entertainment. She blushed, drawing assumptions that he might try to make a move on her sooner or later.

Had she been anymore swamped in her worries about what would happen to her, she could've easily overlooked the glimmer of a fragment in her mind. Collecting herself, she pursed her lips. There wasn't much time for a break, huh? "Hiten, I can feel one up ahead."

* * *

Shippou stared into the sky, a canvas of soft orange and pink hues. The same sky Kagome had disappeared into. He gave a light sigh and huggled the flowers closer to his chest as he approached a newly-dug grave. "Inuyasha. I didn't know you for long but Kagome was really sad about you dying." He laid the flowers off to the side and solemnly stood there for a while before he continued. "Some day, I promise you, I'll avenge--" The kitsune cut himself off. He Turned blue and wailed, scared shitless, whenever a clawed hand shot out from the dirt.

But it didn't stop there, and neither did his high-pitched screeching as a shoulder emerged, followed by a mane of silver. The hanyou sat there, still waist high in dirt, gripping the incision that appeared to have healed just a bit with one hand. His voice was raspy and menacing as he glared down to the fox tyke who was sitting on his rump, blanching more by the second. "You...buried me.. ALIVE!" He growled and grabbed Shippou's head, holding him up and pointing a bloody finger at him.

Shippou squirmed and whined, then waved his hands in front of him. "Wait, Inuyasha!" But the boy didn't seem to be listening, popping each knuckle individually. So he sucked in a breath and blurted everything out. "Kagome-came-back-here-and-Hiten-too-and-she-was-taken-away-by-him!" He squeezed his eyes shut and shivered.

"**_. . . What?_**"

( Ah... the big surprise! I figured it was about time I threw that in there. The "climax" of the story isn't too many chapters away. I will be taking a break after this chapter to work on a few other "projects" of mine. One of those being my Hiten website. Hee. Well, maybe. I just recently updated it. Anyway, a big thank you to the readers who have stuck with this story and have put up with my excruciatingly long waits for new chapters. I love you all! Btw, I can't make really long chapters. Sorry! )


	10. Memories in a Thunderstorm

**Fan Fiction Title:** A shift of destiny  
**Author:** Soliloquys  
**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter 10: Memories in a Thunderstorm**

"Eh heh..." She mumbled as she took a bow and a quiver of arrows that Hiten presented to her. Clumsily she tied the quiver around her front, dropping a few shafts in the process and trying to hide her embarrassment by tilting her head down. She could feel him gazing down at her, her flustered face covered by thick lochs of falling ebony.

She retrieved the last stray arrow and slipped it back with the others, but remained on her knees as she both composed herself and pinpointed the location of the jewel shard. Yet when she stood back up and looked to him, she almost lost her posture to find him staring down at her and not looking away. It made her uncomfortable because his eyes seemed to engulf her, as if she was smothered by red magma and held there. Kagome could even make out two firm hands gripping her waist and keeping her in that spot, but she could see that his hands were at his sides. A dark brow lifted and she felt his voice grind against her ears. "Where is it?"

"Up ahead..." The bow was gripped tensely in two hands as she started off for the barn where she could see the shard gleaming through the walls. He followed closely behind her, she could see his shadow extend into hers as she looked down; afterall their backs were to the evening sun. The door was opened and the horses nervously shifted. On the other side the fragment was, and as she guided Hiten along in the open space of the barn, the miko felt as if she was vulnerable. As if this place was too spacious and _empty_ to have a shikon no kakera. But perhaps they had gotten off easy this time. Hesitating, she looked over her shoulder at Hiten, who seemed to have never taken his eyes off of her. Her voice faltered. "Right there... in that heap of hay."

The youkai snorted as he walked around her, sifted through some hay, and meticulously plucked out the glimmering reward. "There we are." He still appeared menacing, she realized, whenever he dropped the jewel shard in with the rest. His face lit up with a wide, fang-bearing grin and those eyes glowed slightly. How had she ended up aiding such a vile monster! Atleast she could say in her defense that it was not by will that she did this. If she disinclined to help him, he'd turn her inside-out. The girl was currently brooding over this whenever he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and he pulled her petite body against his. "And without any bloodshed! 'Just how you like it!" That arm he had around her slackened so that he could tweak her cheek with his fingers, looking down at her flustered and rather confused face. The thunder demon smiled down at her bewildered expression and urged her onward. "Come on. I'm hungry, and since I can't eat you we'll have to find a place that has food."

Kagome couldn't grasp this man. Was he happy that his grand plan was going well? Use her to get jewel shards, get Manten back, use her perhaps more, then make a meal of her? His happiness would have to hold for the both of them, as she merely allowed him to drag her off. She doubted she'd be eating anyway, what with his appetite for human flesh that she was quite sure she didn't share. He wouldn't eat her, good, but he could just pick someone he walked past in the village and make merry with them instead.

More than enough peasants watched them as he searched the village until he came across what he'd been looking for: an inn. It was a smaller one, but it promised food, shelter, and plenty of company for travelers. Upon stepping inside the scantly occupied room, a woman dressed in a teal kimono that hung from her shoulders approached them -Hiten specifically- and clung to his front. She wasn't very attractive, having a rounder face than desired, wide shoulders, and probably had a plump body underneath her clothing. "What would you like?" She smiled and pulled back to invite him onward.

A meek gasp came from Kagome whenever he pulled her infront of him and rested his chin on her head. "Ask my beautiful _mate_ that, and I'll have the same." It was obvious he did that to keep the lady away from him.

This warranted a stunned reaction from said 'mate' for quite some time, and she choked out a request. "S-some rice perhaps--and maybe stew if you have some too..." She was relieved whenever the woman respectfully bowed to the couple in an apologetic manner, and walked away. And in turn he released her. This time she whirled around and glared up at him. "Where do you get off saying that!"

Judging from his relaxed expression, he didn't think much of it and he gestured her over to a low table and sat down on a soft pillow. "It would've been different if she had been attractive." His pike was set off to the side and he looked around. Most of the women who worked here looked like that or were even more aversive. The youkai looked disappointed enough.

Kaede made better meals. Kagome noted this as they sat in silence while they ate. Every once in awhile the girl would frown impulsively, still upset over what he'd done earlier. Did he enjoy making her think too much about something? Was he teasing? A surprised sound murred from her whenever a chopstick bounced off her forehead. She looked up, over to Hiten, to see him sitting there watching her intently with the matching utensil dangling between two fingers. "You know, you're taking way too long to eat. I've been waiting for you to finish for so long that two other customers have sat down to eat and have left in the time it takes you to finish half a bowl of this shit you call food."

The stick rolled off the table and she looked over to him, replying in a flatter tone. "You seem to like it enough... you ate a whole bowl."

Hiten gripped his edge of the table and leaned forward, narrowing his eyes that gleamed in this light and gliding his lips against his fangs whenever they peeled into a smile. "What's wrong, woman? You're not pissed at me, are you?"

A hiss seethed in her exhale and she shot up to stand. She had enough. "What did you expect! You think that after so long I'll forget what you did to Inuyasha? --Because you got even and will now have your brother back you think I should just go off to frolic wthl you? That you can seduce me! No! You're a disgusting monster and no matter how much time I spend with you, you'll still make me sick!" His expression changed and those eyes glowed darker. The consequences...

She ran. Kagome fled to the exit and dashed out into the gray evening. Her yukata stopped her from running effectively, so she pulled it up above her knees and covered more ground with her hurried and panicking gait. This melee was shortlived, she knew, whenever she felt him behind her. No sooner did she feel the presence of him did his hands grab her arms and he picked her up off the ground. "Hck...!" Her insides fluttered whenever she was spun around then pinned to the ground. Despite her eyes tightly closed, she could see his face, close to hers, burned into her mind. So close that she could see the fine details of his face. In fact, she could feel the fine details of his armor against her body: her chest, her legs.

"No, you fucking idiot, you have no idea what seducing is. If I _wanted_ you underneath me, you'd be too caught up in pleasure and desire to realize what was happening. Do you want me to show you?" Her eyes shot open whenever he straddled her waist and grinded up against her. Hooking his finger around her obi, he pulled back to catch her reaction as he began to tug it loose. The thunder youkai held back a grin.

"N---no!" The arm that was no longer bound against the dirt reached out to interfere, protecting the bow that held her clothes together. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her body trembling, her mind blurred by fear upon realizing something: _she was half aroused by all of this_. Yet she didn't want it, she was sure, if she even let him touch her body like that then she'd regret it. His hand was hard to keep away, and she struggled as, just whenever it was pushed off to the side, he would bring it back to try again with a grin wider than before. Make him stop. He was nothing but a blur against the dark sky. Everything was going black, she thought, as she fought the temptation.

A drop of water rolled down her cheek; it was neither warm nor salty like tears, rather cool and calming. Another one on her arm and another on her brow. It was raining. His forceful body slackened and she peered up to see him crouched over her with his head tilted back into the falling droplets. A distant roll of thunder seemed to pull his attention off of her, as if she were now a rock he had been previously sitting on. "...Hiten?"

"--Shh." The shower grew more persistent, and she swallowed as he remained there in that pose. A flash of white off to the side in the clouds, and another crack of thunder. This one closer. He stood up and over her, then grabbed her hand. "Get off the ground, you'll get wet. Come on back inside." The last thing she wanted to do was follow him back inside. They'd have a private room waiting for them back inside...would he continue where he'd left off?

He pulled up the curtain and gazed out the window when they were in that room. A cool gust was the only thing that blew inside. He watched the sky closely, and it didn't take Kagome too long to figure out why he was. She knew a part of him ached to see Manten arrive amongst the black clouds. He sat there, anticipating, waiting, hoping. Did he really care for his brother that much? Was he more than just a killing monster? She sat down on the other side of the room, her back to the wooden shoji door. "..Tell me something about him."

Molten eyes glanced over to her for a moment and he turned to face the storm. "He always felt inferior to me because of the way he looked. Sometimes he'd smile whenever I said he would be just as attractive as me if he had some hair on his head. So we tried everything...using the scalps of other people but his head was too big anyway." Hiten looked over to Kagome, smiling just a bit as he saw her look ill. He went on anyway. "Our mother frowned at us for just leaving the rest of the body unused so she gave us a recipe for a potion. I'm sure you already know that Manten was going to use you for that. Which is, by the way, why you won't be dieing under my watch." A pause. "Heh... he was the most precious person to me. I poked fun at him enough and made him cry more than once. I scared the shit out of him sometimes. I was an asshole to him, simply put. I wish I had treated him better. I wish I wouldn't need a second chance to show him how much he means to me. If I had known that he would've died that day, I--"

Kagome's thin brows furrowed whenever his voice finally grew so shaky, he could no longer speak eligible words. His head dropped and the demon fell silent. There was no reason to what she did next; it felt necessary to drop down next to him, place her hand on his back, and look into the storm that now poured down upon the inn and filled it with the trembling cracks of thunder.

Kagome was snug in the warm covers, with only her head poking out. The morning air was fresh and clean, and she noticed how comfortable she was. Her back was against what she assumed to be the wall, but whenever she shifted and heard Hiten groan, her eyes opened at once and she looked up to see that she was lying right there with him. His arm was even wrapped around her and keeping her close. There had been no way in hell she fell asleep like this. After a long while of sitting there with him, she told him goodnight and slipped off to bed. He must've laid down with her and slept that way. He didn't look ready to wake up, so he must've been awake like that for a good part of the night.

With a silent sigh, she slipped out of her spot and rubbed at her clothes to get the wrinkles out of them. The girl surprised herself; she wasn't too disturbed by the thought that she'd been so close to him. Perhaps because he'd done that to find some sort of solace? She didn't feel dirty or violated either. Out the room she went to go wash for the day. Hiten did not stir.

* * *

"Inuyasha...you're forgetting something." A bare foot stepped into a patch of wet grass, and the hanyou glanced over his shoulder at Kaede as she followed him out of the hut and held out Tetsusaiga in its scabbard. The old woman sighed. "Your wound isn't completely healed, but you're about to leave without it, so I suppose hiding it from you won't be keeping you here any longer." A clawed hand grabbed the scabbard and the boy slipped it into his obi. He turned his back to her again. "Just be careful, alright? Hiten now has all of your jewel shards and the ones he already had.

A low, raspy voice chuckled, and he inclined his head as if to smell the faintly moving air. "Don't worry...that bastard will soon be in the grave next to his brother." The cloudless sky yielded a bright sun, which shone down on a blur of gleaming silver and crimson as he dashed off.

( Hmm... I wonder what kind of comments I'll get on this chapter. I apologize for the wait...but my computer hasn't been working too well and I can barely use it anymore. And no, Hiten wasn't about to rape Kagome. ;o I suppose there may be one or two chapters left until the story has been told. I think I'll update my profile along with this chapter to rant about other things I wish to do. Review to tell me your thoughts and so forth if you wish to. )


	11. After the Rain

**Fan Fiction Title**: A shift of destiny

**Author:** Soliloquys

**Disclaimer:** Hiten nor any of the characters in my fanfiction aren't mine, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter 11: After the Rain**

After washing herself, Kagome had stepped just outside of the inn to breathe in the fresh, clean air. The skies had cleared and the grass blades gleamed in the morning rays that shone down upon her as well, warming her face and body. Days ago she would have never imagined to be able to stand here like this. A faint smile triggered guilt moments later; how could she be slightly happy as Hiten's captive? She leaned against the outside wall and relaxed while facing the sunlight and a slightly vexing question. Would it be _alright_ to let it go? Would it be _okay _to move away from her past and push forward with this demon?

Before she could reason with herself, a crash from inside jolted her back to the present and she turned to hear an all too familiar sound: metal colliding.. and sharp cackling sparks. Even as she slipped back inside, she heard the clamor coming from their room continue as there were several, foot-step like thumps and other louder thuds-- bodies hitting the floor? Sliding to a halt, she whisked up her bow and quiver of arrows she'd left just outside their room.

There, in the small space where she hadn't shut the door completely, she peered in and saw Hiten's thunder pike on the floor, as if thrown carelessly out of the way. Aside from the fact that that wasn't where he'd left it the previous night, fresh and wet blood coated certain parts of the hot gleaming blade. With a shift of her eyes, she now saw the body in which the blood belonged too, a matching opening in a male's collarbone that ran down to his hip. Something that still made her gut flop, a lifeless and pained gaze reflected in the pool of blood that took its time in spreading across the floor. At that time she heard the murmur of a voice come into focus. It did not belong to Hiten.

The door was wedged open a little further, and with a shift of perspective she saw the remaining group. Hiten only managed to get one of them before he was overtook by the rest, she assumed, upon seeing a group circled around the thunder demon. Each of them wore black outfits, with shortened sleeves, and varyingly colored headbands. The leader, she guessed, was the one standing in front of Hiten with his arms crossed. He was the only one wearing a red headband. _Why isn't he fighting back_? Too many were standing in the way of her view so she shifted and lowered her head to gaze between two bodies. And there stood Hiten, pinned in place with three separate blades pressed to his throat at different angles. His armor, she also realized, was still tucked away in the corner of the room. They'd attacked him while he was asleep? Again she focused on the low murmur of the leader's voice.

"You fell for our bait. Usually those who are intentionally looking for jewel shards already have a few on their person. I guess, youkai, that you're no different?" A subordinate moved forward at the former's gesture to search his body. Behind his head, however, an arrow flew past and struck another on the chest. Missing her intended target, the search was ceased and all turned to gaze at the frowning archer. The leader raised a brow.

"You're wrong. The shards you're looking for were entrusted to me. Or rather, I took them." A blatant lie to two of them in the room; she'd dare not do that as it would land her in a position she would never want to be in. Each of the bandits, however, were unaware of this and they turned for her. The composure she held broke the next moment and she bolted down the hallway and around a corner. A wild goose-chase, it was, as she weaved into rooms and through dividers. The thumping of her heart dulled out the gasps of surprise from the rooms she dashed through, and oftentimes curses as most guests weren't quite modest. However there were more of them following her than she first anticipated, and soon the inn was overrun with pursuers. Shoving a window open, she crawled out but was met head-on almost at once by one of the few who already moved outside. A few tendrils of hair were left behind as she barely avoided a horizontal slash.

The land surrounding the inn was flat and open, and although Kagome knew she was a sitting duck like this, she bolted off in hopes of reaching the small village in sight with its winding roads and many huts. A hand, rough and barbarian, gripped her shoulder and yanked back at her before she made it halfway and the girl lost balance. They were fast. Sure to feel a blade run through her, she was surprised when the pulling force slackened to nothing. There was a scream that was not her own, and she flopped onto her side roughly with a groan. What the hell had just happened? The trailing moans and frightened gasps were cut short when just behind her she heard that sharp cackling from before. Upon looking over her shoulder, she caught the silhouette of the thunder god as he stood over the dead body.

There should have been a sigh of relief but he glanced back at her, his molten eyes glowering down upon her. And then he left her side, swinging that pole out at a set of attackers and cutting through their torsos all at once with lightning spilling out from the blade as it tore their relatively frail bodies apart. The morale of those remaining, she could see, was severely shattered at the sight of this and even moreso when he threw the pike at one of them and took the head straight off. Some of them even turned away and began to flee when the maddened youkai took after them, his loose braid whipping to and fro. This was to the leader's distaste, as she noticed him calmly walk into the action with a hand on the hilt of his undrawn sword. And then she saw them.

There were two, each dangling from his lobe as earrings...two jewel shards screaming silently out at her and penetrating her mind. His focus was not on her. He must've figured out that she was no one to steal from this demon now taking down his followers one by one. _No one_. Then this was her chance. An arrow was swiftly drawn and notched, aimed, then fired. Too late did he notice her advance to avoid it, and his body was pushed back slightly when that shaft was lodged into his left shoulder. She shouted out to him as she pushed herself up to stand. "I see you have jewel shards of your own dangling from your ears."

What displeased look Kagome could see slowly melting on his features she soon saw up close, glaring her straight in the eye, as her throat was violently gripped. He lifted her up from the ground and snarled at her. "That was a bad mistake you just made there." He wasn't playing around either, as immediately his grip tightened on her throat and she choked for a breath that was too constricted to come. Peering down at him, she looked beyond that smirk to his shoulder. He hadn't removed the arrow, so she used that against him as she reached down and gripped it. The original intention was to push it down hard to strike a nerve, but accidentally a faucet of power was released and a shock riveted through the leader's body from that wooden shaft. It was enough for her to be released. Slumping onto the ground, she looked up through her tousled hair to see him bring the sword down at her.

Fortunately the worst of that slash was avoided when she rolled out of the way. However, she could feel the blood flowing from a somewhat deeper wound that found its way on her side, just below her ribcage. A flutter of fear overcame her and quelled the sharp contracting pain when she could imagine a second swing at her backside. A swing that never came. The flesh, bones, and innards of the leader yielded to the pronged tip of Hiten's pike as it impaled him all the way through. And he was held there, coughing out a deep, thick blood and dying as Hiten removed one hand to pluck those shards from his earrings. And while doing so, he looked down to Kagome with an ever-widening grin, as if thanking her for pointing it out earlier.

The body was dumped off to the side and the dirty blade was smeared against the leader's clothing. He looked down to the young girl with his eyes gleaming and tucked away the jewel shards with the rest of their little collection. "I do hope you weren't planning on really stealing them. You wouldn't have a clue on how to handle them against me anyway." Her reaction was closely watched but just a blanched expression. _Heh_; Hiten turned and began to walk away.

And so this was how he expressed gratitude? Lowering her head to glare at him between her thick bangs, she gripped her side and muttered out to him. "Did you treat your brother like _this_ too after he'd help you out?" That relaxed pace came to a soft stop and he tilted his head back to look at her. "...Or do you have the right to treat me like shit just because you haven't known me all your life?"

"I have the right to treat you however I like." He replied with a threatening, low tone. To this she made no response, biting her tongue and pushing herself to her feet. With her hand pressing into her side, she walked with a broken gait back into the inn to bandage herself and lick the wounds that hadn't been physically inflicted on her.

The air was stinging her eyes inside the washroom---a sign that she felt close to tears. Kagome had fallen onto her knees and leaned into herself, drawing in and out a deep breath over and over while she applied more pressure to that damn wound ... apparently it was even deeper than she had first thought. Her body was shaking and swaying as she couldn't keep her balance now, keeled over herself and swamped in her thoughts.

She didn't know how long she had remained there until an outside touch reached her. Two firm hands gripped her shoulder and she felt his voice move into her ear and fill it. "Lean back into me."

And she did so, uncertain at first. "Hiten?" He noised an affirmative from within his chest. His voice, she noticed, had toned down. It no longer scratched her ears or made her wince. Not now, at least. She could feel the deep placid noise move into her body and die there, lingering on that feeling and not really noticing that his hand had slipped to her obi and pulled it free. Her summer yukata unfolded and slipped open, revealing the pale flesh of her abdomen. Underneath she wore nothing else but a bra and panties that were now stained with blood. When she felt her clothes fall back, her eyes widened and her voice was caught in her throat. She couldn't protest. But what was he doing? Staring up at the ceiling, the girl grew rigid to his wandering touches back up to her shoulder and when her yukata was drawn off her shoulders and pulled away. A moment ago she had felt ice-cold, but now the girl was feverish. Why did he have to do this _now_?

But he wasn't doing that now. First there was a wet cloth, cleaning up the mess around the sensitive opening. Then she felt bandages being strapped around her side tightly to seal in the blood. "Relax your muscles." Came a louder demand as he rubbed her back. It was difficult at first, but she slackened against him once again and let out a slow, shaky breath. Suddenly her bra unfastened in the back and fell around her body. She jerked forward but his other arm hand slipped underneath hers and Hiten reached up between her breasts and a loose bra and pressed her back against him. "If you don't _fucking_ calm down I'll just knock you unconscious and do it that way." And Kagome, spell-bound by his close voice, felt the air sweep over her body as her bra was removed. The soiled thing was discarded atop her yukata.

She fought hard against the reflex to press her legs together as well when the last of her clothing was slipped off her body, down her legs, and over her feet. Another wet cloth was rubbed along her hips where blood had been smeared, then two strong arms picked her up and carried her back to the next room. "Just--lie there and try to sleep until I can get someone to dress that damn wound of yours properly. I'll have your clothes washed, too." Kagome looked up to his moving lips as he explained it, all the while laying her down on the soft mats and drawing the thick sheets over her body. She continued to stare at them after he stopped speaking and pursed them together as if frustrated with all of this.

"I--ah..." Her meek sentence interrupted by a soft groan, "...I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you. But I'm not thanking you for that right there. Not---" Her second sentence wasn't completed at all. At first the girl felt their lips touch for only a moment until he pressed them into hers furthermore where he held them just long enough for that feeling to be imprinted there after he had pulled away, smirked wickedly down at her, and then left her there to sleep.

( No, you're not seeing things! I actually updated with a chapter. :O Again I apologize for such long waits, and again I express my gratitude to those who put up with it and continue to read. A few notes about this chapter? I wrote it all in one night and proofread it on the same night. So I apologize for anything that doesn't make sense. Another thing? I felt almost dirty when typing "panties" ... I don't know why. I couldn't think of any other noun and underwear seems too, uh, no. Haha. There will only be one chapter left. I would say, "stay tuned" but I don't want to keep you guys waiting forever. 3 )


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